Press Releases

MIHEART Coalition Hosts Talent Summit

Broad coalition emphasizes importance of investment in education beyond high school

Jan. 24, 2019 - LANSING, MICH. — MIHEART, a broad coalition of business, military, law enforcement, philanthropic, education and government leaders, is hosting a Talent Summit today, Thursday Jan. 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to educate members of Michigan’s 100th Legislature and the Whitmer Administration on the urgency of supporting education beyond high school for all Michigan citizens. The Talent Summit has more than 100 attendees from a variety of sectors.

“Progress has been made, but Michigan still has work to do if we want to keep a competitive edge when it comes to filling the need for talent,” said Sandy Baruah, President and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. “The time has come to provide all Michiganders 21st century skills to fill the job needs of tomorrow.”

MIHEART released the Total Talent Report in September detailing the need to support strategies that help Michiganders earn employer-valued postsecondary credentials, degrees, and certificates that position them for long-term success and meet the state’s talent demands.

“Effective career exploration and navigation for students from middle school to college is essential if Michigan is going to produce the talent industry needs now and in the future,” said Kevin Stotts, Talent 2025. “Students and their parents want to know more than what are today’s hot jobs. They want to know which postsecondary education and training programs lead to high-wage jobs fulling careers that are match their interests and abilities.” Talent 2025 is a catalyst working to ensure an ongoing supply of world-class talent for West Michigan. Composed of over 100 CEOs from the region, Talent 2025 illuminates gaps, evaluates leading practices, and advocates for the implementation of those leading practices to make West Michigan a top 20 employment region by the year 2025.

The Talent Summit is focused on the critical need to improve post-secondary education and training programs to help develop diverse career pathways for Michigan students.

“Michigan’s pressing challenge is to build up our talent, equipping all with the skills and postsecondary credentials needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” said Tim Sowton, Business Leaders for Michigan.

Michigan business representatives are taking part in a constructive conversation, addressing the skills gap Michigan is facing. By 2025, more than 60 percent of Michigan jobs will require education beyond high school, such as a postsecondary degree or professional or technical certificate. Despite this looming need, only 44 percent of adults in Michigan have that level of education.

“Talent is the new currency of economic development. It is our ticket to building a stronger region and more vibrant state,” said Tim Daman, President & CEO Lansing Regional Chamber. “If we are to solve the growing talent gap in Michigan, business and education leaders must work together to create and promote diverse career pathways for our students. We need to take a visionary and creative approach to bridge the gap between business, education and talent to develop a workforce that is prepared and empowered to succeed now and well into the future.”

“Our state’s economic vitality is rooted in the education levels and workforce readiness of all Michiganders,” said Caroline Altman Smith, Deputy Director-Education of The Kresge Foundation. “Total Talent reveals promising gains in postsecondary participation. But we must invigorate this pace and help more students complete a degree, especially those for whom college attainment is most transformative – students of color and students from low-income households. The Kresge Foundation remains committed to supporting Michigan-based organizations working to improve student outcomes.”

MIHEART Coalition to Host Talent Summit

Coalition of Business, Military, Law Enforcement, Philanthropic and Education Leaders host summit on the importance of investment in education beyond high school

WHAT: MIHEART, a broad coalition of business, military, law enforcement, philanthropic, education and government leaders, are hosting a Talent Summit to educate members of Michigan’s 100th Legislature and the Whitmer Administration on the urgency of supporting education beyond high school for all Michigan citizens. MIHEART released a report in September detailing the need to support strategies that help Michiganders earn employer-valued postsecondary credentials, degrees, and certificates that position them for long-term success and meet the state’s talent demands.

The grant will support the Workforce Prep pilot program for approximately500 10th graders at seven Metro Detroit high schools

Jan. 10, 2019 - LANSING, MICH.—Winning Futures in Warren, Michigan, was awarded an Innovative Program Grant by the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN). This $10,000 award will be used to teach 10th graders soft skills and provide hands-on opportunities that enable them to gain workplace experience and prepare them for college and their career. Students from seven metro Detroit high schools will participate in this program: Cass Technical (Detroit), Community (Warren Consolidated alternative; Sterling Heights), Mumford (Detroit), Harper Woods, Madison (Madison Heights), Pontiac Academy for Excellence and Warren Mott.

According to Winning Futures, “Tenth graders will complete a weekly mentoring program matched with trained business mentors from the local community. Mentors meet their mentees during the day at their school in a designated Winning Futures’ classroom one hour per week for 21 weeks.”

The soft-skills education portion of the program will feature a curriculum that includes these topics: Positive Attitudes, Strengths & Talents, Values & Ethics in the Workplace, Career Planning & Exploration, Finding the Right Continuing Education Fit, Short & Long-Term Goal Setting, Academic Goal Setting, Study Skills, Overcoming Obstacles, Mapping a Career Plan, Support Teams, Public Speaking and Professionalism.

“Our Workforce Prep program will work with those students to inspire them to graduate from high school, find continuing education and a career path that is a good fit, and stay with them as they complete that crucial first year of continuing education, helping ensure completion of their education,” stated Kristina Marshall, president and CEO of Winning Futures.

Winning Futures cited research from Business Leaders for Michigan that found that, “only 23 percent of Michigan high school graduates are college and career ready, putting Michigan in the bottom half of states in terms of college-ready grads.”

“This grant addresses the lack of basic skills that are needed in the workplace in Michigan, as reported by employers,” said Brandy Johnson, executive director of the Michigan College Access Network. “This program connects career and college, which is important for preparing students for their futures.”

Innovative Program Grants are designed to fund programming that increases college readiness, enrollment, and completion in local communities and across the state through grants of up to $10,000. Since these grants were introduced in 2016, MCAN has awarded more than $276,000 in 30 different Innovative Program Grants to organizations throughout the state.

###

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK (MCAN)

As the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN’s mission is to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college going students, and students of color. For the seventh year in a row, Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate has increased — from 35.7 percent of 25-to-64-year-olds possessing at least an associate degree in 2008, to 39.4 percent in 2016. Additionally, it is estimated another 4 percent of Michiganders have a high-quality certificate, bringing Michigan’s official attainment rate to 43.7 percent as of 2018. It is MCAN’s goal to increase Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to 60 percent by the year 2025. For more information, visit micollegeaccess.org.

ABOUT WINNING FUTURES

Winning Futures is an award-winning nonprofit organization in Warren, Michigan that empowers youth to succeed through mentoring, strategic planning and workforce preparation. They transform high school students across metro Detroit into becoming self-reliant, employable, productive adults. They help students see the path to a purposeful career and assist them in creating the road map to get there. Since 1994, they have impacted 47,000 students and awarded $1.9 million in scholarships to their mentees. For more information, visit winningfutures.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact: Christopher TremblayEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Cell:517-816-7774

Michigan College Access Network awarded more than $1.13 million to statewide organizations in 2018

Grants aim to improve college readiness and participation among Michigan students

Dec. 20, 2018 - LANSING, MICH. –The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) awarded $1.13 million in grants to more than 41 different organizations across the state in 2018. All of the grants went to schools, organizations or local efforts to improve the number of students pursuing education beyond high school, including college advising, continuous improvements to helping students, and innovative program grants.

“These grants fund the dedication and innovation of individuals within schools and organizations to encourage students furthering their education beyond high school, which is a necessity in today’s world,” said Brandy Johnson, executive director, Michigan College Access Network. “We’re honored to disperse more than one million dollars to organizations that are working to move the needle. We know wholeheartedly that college is for everyone, and these organizations are an important part of a movement sending that message to all Michigan students.”

All of the grants awarded through MCAN are designed to fund efforts that increase college readiness, enrollment and completion in local communities.

The grants given include:

20 Reach Higher High School Grants

13 Innovative Program Grants

7 Local College Access Network Grants

1 College Advising Grant

“Nobody better understands how to navigate the obstacles facing students in local communities than the people living there,” continued Johnson. “We are proud to provide the financial support to spark a movement on the local level to assist organizations and schools across the state working for change.”

For more information about the grants available through MCAN, go here.

###

About Michigan College Access Network

As the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN’s mission is to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college going students, and students of color. For the seventh year in a row, Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate has increased — from 35.7 percent of 25-to-64-year-olds possessing at least an associate degree in 2008, to 39.4 percent in 2016. Additionally, it is estimated another 4 percent of Michiganders have a high-quality certificate, bringing Michigan’s official attainment rate to 43.7 percent in 2018It is MCAN’s goal to increase Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to 60 percent by the year 2025. For more information, visit micollegeaccess.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact: Christopher TremblayEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Cell: (517) 816-7774

Detroit High School Students Selected to Receive Free Tickets to See Michelle Obama

Detroit is of one of only 12 U.S. cities to host former first lady Michelle Obama

LANSING, Mich.—The Michigan College Access Network (MCAN) distributed 100 tickets to select students in Detroit to attend former first lady Michelle Obama’s book tour promoting her memoir, BECOMING.

Students from eight Detroit high schools attended the event: Ford High School, Voyageur College Prep High School, Detroit School of Arts, King High School, Detroit Leadership Academy, Osborn High School, Cody High School and Frederick Douglass Academy. These high schools were selected because they either participate in MCAN’s AdviseMI program and are located in the City of Detroit, or they are highly engaged with the Detroit College Access Network (DCAN).

Obama and Live Nation donated 10 percent of the Detroit event tickets to various organizations, which included MCAN and DCAN.

When asked about why these community tickets are so important to Mrs. Obama, she said:

“It was important to me that all sorts of people could come to the tour events, not just those with means or who happened to be by a computer when the tickets went on sale. That’s why we are giving away thousands of tickets to people around the country, particularly to young people striving to be their best. I want them to see themselves in my story—to see the value in the fullness of their lives and to imagine who they might become in the years ahead.”

The tour featured intimate and honest conversations with Obama, reflective of the extraordinary stories shared in the wide-ranging chapters of her deeply personal book. Detroit high school students heard Mrs. Obama’s firsthand reflections on the experiences and events, both public and private, that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her years spent at the most famous address in the world.

Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As first lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world.

In candidly recounting moments from her own extraordinary journey, Obama also shared life lessons learned and inspired people to become the very best version of themselves.

###

ABOUT MICHELLE OBAMA AND COLLEGE ACCESS

In 2014, while serving as first lady, Obama launched the Reach Higher Initiative, an effort to inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university. In 2015, as part of her Reach Higher initiative, Obama created the Better Make Room Campaign, to target Generation Z, young people ages 14-19, to celebrate education, change the national conversation, and reach students directly where they are and give them a space to create content while also navigating the college-going process.

ABOUT THE MICHIGAN COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK (MCAN)

As the leader in the state’s college access movement, MCAN’s mission is to increase Michigan’s college readiness, participation and completion rates, particularly among low-income students, first-generation college going students, and students of color. For the seventh year in a row, Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate has increased — from 35.7 percent of 25-to-64-year-olds possessing at least an associate degree in 2008, to 39.4 percent in 2015. Additionally, it is estimated another 4 percent of Michiganders have a high-quality certificate, bringing Michigan’s official attainment rate to 43.7 percent as of 2018. It is MCAN’s goal to increase Michigan’s postsecondary educational attainment rate to 60 percent by the year 2025. For more information, visit micollegeaccess.org.

ABOUT THE DETROIT COLLEGE ACCESS NETWORK (DCAN)

The Detroit College Access Network (DCAN) is the coordinating body of cross-sector leaders and organizations in Detroit working together to ensure all Detroit students have the opportunity to attend college. DCAN’s mission is to increase post-secondary readiness, enrollment, and attainment so that all students in Detroit can achieve their educational dreams. DCAN is one of nearly 30 Local College Access Networks in the State of Michigan. For more information, visit detroitcan.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMedia Contact: Christopher TremblayEmail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Cell:517-816-7774